Helping Someone ( your wife )
Buy a Motorcycle
I just went through the joy and pain of helping my wife buy a new bike. It was an experience that was fun yet frustrating and can test your patience. :) When helping anyone buy something that is so personal such as a motorcycle it is always best to display a great deal of patience and to also remember to keep your own personal feelings out of the mix. Your helping someone buy a vehicle that will be ridden by that person , not you. So what you think of the color or style should have no bearing on " their " decision. They have to like the bike themselves and your feelings ( unless it is mechanically related ) should have no bearing on their choice. Giving input to the bikes overall handling, mechanics, dependability, engine, etc. is one thing, giving input on color or style is another.
I cannot stress how important it is to research what your buying. When it comes to Motorcycles, research can save you some major headaches down the road and help you make a smart decision ( not to mention save you a bundle of cash ). There are numerous articles out there on a vast number of bikes written by experts and experienced bikers who point out flaws of certain models or brands. Flaws that maybe you might not be aware of. We recently talked with a biker who just bought a brand new cruiser. Its a large cruiser so it cost him over $ 10,000. He told us how disappointed he was with the bike because the balance was so bad and the bike was top heavy. If he had taken the time to research this bike he would have found three expert riders who tested the bike and recommended not buying it because of these faults. So do your research.
When I started researching this new bike for Ally, I also had her participate in the research. I educated her on some of the finer points of motorcycles ( front rake, engines, fuel systems, brakes, etc. ) and I also made sure she read every article or website I read that pertained to the bikes she was interested in. Then we would sit down and discuss them and I would patiently answer her questions. This tactic helped to educate her, make her understand her choices better, allowed her to cull the list of favorite bikes from her list on her own and gave her the knowledge to make an informed decision. It made her a viable part of the overall purchase decision.
We started out by identifying what she wanted. It was obvious she wanted a bigger cruiser and had no interest in a sport bike type. I personally had no interest in seeing her bump up to a " slightly larger " bike for her because I did not want to repeat this entire buying scenario a year or two later. So I started assembling an initial hit list for her based on engine size. Since all metric bikes are reliable and none have hidden mechanical flaws that would make the bike a living nightmare to own, I included bikes from all manufacturers. Let me point out that I have no loyalty to any manufacturer, I only have loyalty to myself and my wife's needs as well as our bank account. I also pay close attention to value and there is a wide range of prices out there and standard options. Some bikes represent a great value while others are over priced.
I handed her an initial list of bikes which included the Honda VTX 1300, the Suzuki Boulevard c90 - 1500, the Yamaha Star 1300 and the Kawasaki Vulcan Classic 1500. I am not about to bash any of these bikes as they are all dependable and reliable bikes. Each one has Pro's and Con's and that is what the buyers research does, helps you narrow your focus to a couple bikes. Our research helped us drop the Honda VTX off the list right away. Its one of the nicest looking bikes going, very reliable, very well built but one of the most over priced bikes on the market. It is offered with some of the oldest technology in its class of bikes, such as a carbureted engine. It also lacks a lot of engine dressing ( chrome, blackened engine parts, etc. ). It has more plastic chrome then any other model in its class yet cost as much or more then the others. So it went off the list right away. We hated to cull this bike from the list because both of us are fond of Honda's but like I said, loyalty has no place in our buying decision, only value. Besides, if we were going to spend $ 9,000, it wasn't going to be on a carbureted engine. I like the VTX, do not get me wrong, and they are good bikes but they represent one of the worst values in the motorcycle market today. Of course that is just my opinion but ironically I have heard the same exact thing from a few Honda dealers who are screaming at Honda for an update to this bike.
We then looked at the Star and of all the bikes, this one represented great value while also having one of the toughest engines going. It had a smaller engine then the Vulcan and Boulevard ( 1300 vs 1500 cc ) but was engineered with forged pistons and forged connecting rods as well as having fuel injection. The engineering in this engine was phenomenal. It also had the Harley style belt drive instead of the shaft or chain. Its engine was dressed out really well and had a lot of hard chrome. But it had two major flaws that I knew would be a deal breaker - its engine size and its air cleaner covers. The air cleaner covers were shaped into a V and protruded out so far that Ally hit her knees on them. This prevented her from bringing her legs in close to the tank when cornering or for comfort. Because the Star 1300 is essentially a brand new bike it had the least amount of aftermarket accessories available so changing out the air cleaner covers wasn't an option. If these covers aggravated her just sitting on the bike I knew they would really annoy her after a 50 mile ride. So this fault got this bike kicked off the list as well. It is all about fit and comfort and while it fits others well, it didn't fit her.
That brought the list down to the Boulevard and the Vulcan. Once we narrowed the list to this point then it was time to demand from the dealer a test ride. I didn't want the dealer to prep all four bikes for testing when we were not interested in two of them. So I asked them to get the Boulevard out for her first as it was prepped and ready to go. ( The Vulcan was still on the dealers floor and had no fuel or safety checks performed yet ). So she rode the Boulevard first while they prepped the Vulcan. But I was adamant that she ride them both and surprisingly she also was adamant that she ride them.
Ally knew that in order to test each bike she had to put it through several scenarios ( I never thought of telling her to do this, she did it on her own. Smart woman ). Slow speed riding, typical residential riding, higher speed riding and of course freeway riding. She took it through all these different formats including getting it out on the freeway and around semi's. She wanted to test the buffeting and handling of the bike as well. After a good ride she came back in and said " it handles very well. It did buffet a bit around semis, but not bad and remained stable. It is balanced real well ". To be fair to the Boulevard, she rode the touring model with a windshield which will sometimes produce more buffeting from traffic on a freeway. She also wanted to check engine heat on this bike as it was the only bike among the four that was air cooled and it was a concern of ours, a major concern of ours. Turns out the bike stayed cool through her test ride. Overall it performed very well for her and she said nothing more about it, reserving further judgment till after she rode the Vulcan.
The dealer had the Vulcan ready to go when she got back and she took off on it using the same route she used for the Boulevard. After her test ride she came rolling back into the parking lot and parked it and got off and said " this bike is smooth". It has hardly no engine vibration, has smooth power and handles real well. I didn't realize how much vibration was in the other bike till I rode this one ". I knew then that this was probably going to be the bike that she bought but left the decision to her. We left the dealer and went home for lunch and to discuss the bikes she just rode. She was not too keen on the vibration produced by the Boulevard so she decided on the Vulcan. We went back to the dealer and I hammered out a price I was comfortable with and the bike came back home with us. Thankfully Kawasaki was also running a cash back special on the Vulcan so that helped as well on price.
Once home we went out for a short ride and that is when buyers remorse began to sit in. The more she rode the Vulcan and the more miles she clocked it proved to be the most uncomfortable of all the bikes she rode and sat on. The handlebar grips were way out in front of her causing her to stretch and reach. The grips themselves were the standard skinny smooth surfaced grips that come on all bikes which also transmit a lot of vibration back into the hands. The extended reach for the grips caused some major aches and pains in her shoulder blades, back, neck and arms. She wondered why she ever decided on buying this bike as it was miserable to ride. She was depressed over her purchase and was admitting it was a mistake. But I had been reading a great deal on the VROC web site ( Vulcan Riders Owners Club Site ) about simple modifications and went to work and started researching aftermarket parts for the bike. It seems strange buying aftermarket parts to make a brand new bike comfortable but in many cases this is exactly what you have to do. I have seen Harley buyers pour well over $ 20,000 K into a new bike then spend another $ 1,000 or two to make it fit them comfortably. One has to understand that the manufacturers build bikes for the average person and therefore set these bikes up for the broad market. So a new bike may be perfect for many people ( the general population that fits the average spec's of an individual ) and miserable for the person who is just outside those specs ( short arms, short legs, long legs, etc. ).
I found a new set of risers which when installed brought the handlebars up and back towards her. This instantly cured the reaching problem and put the grips close to her allowing her to sit upright and in a comfortable position with her arms bent. I then adjusted the handlebars to a comfort level that was good for her. I also ordered a new drivers backrest which helped her sit upright and provided her back support for long rides. An adjustment of the hand grip control levers, the heel and toe shifter and this bike ended up fitting her perfectly. The only other thing we ordered was a new set of Kuryakan ISO grips. We have found that these grips provide great insulating properties from engine vibrations transferred through the handlebars. They also are a larger and thicker grip which is easier on your hands and wrists allowing them to be in a more open position.
By applying all of the factors in your purchase decision such as appearance, color scheme, styling, engine size, comfort and options, you can minimize that chance of having to upgrade again in the near future. Our goal was to buy a bike that Ally could grow into and be happy with for a few years. We also wanted the bigger engine to avoid having to upgrade again in the very near future because of a lack of HP and torque. I believe the decisions we made were right for our set of circumstances and while our choice of bike may not be for everyone, it was the perfect bike overall for her. It didn't fit her at the start but it fit her perfectly afterwards. More importantly she got a bike that had a lot to offer for the money. Adjustable control levers with the twist of a button, hydraulic clutch, fuel injection and numerous other little additions that will make the bike enjoyable for her.
My advice is to research your bikes carefully, select the options you want, the engine size you need and do not settle for less of a bike because of comfort or brand loyalty. If you want that " other " bike but its turning you off because of comfort in the saddle and overall feel, do some research and find out what can be done to correct it. In our case it cost less then $ 300 to get the Vulcan to fit Ally. In the end we saved a great deal of money because she got the bigger engine and we will not be back at the dealership to upgrade to a bigger bike anytime soon. And do not forget loyalty to a brand is a good way to line some corporation with a lot of extra money. Unlike automobiles, metric cruisers are all dependable and can be relied upon for many miles down the road. So drop your brand loyalty at the dealership door and concentrate on buying the bike that is best for you.
Good luck with your purchase.
Chris
Click here to see Ally's New Vulcan 1500 fi Classic